Mafia on brink of turf war

Mafia on brink of turf war

Two top men have been arrested, leaving a power vacuum in the 150-year-old Cosa Nostra crime organisation.

“Boss of bosses” Bernardo Provenzano was picked up last year and fellow kingpin Salvatore Lo Piccolo this month.

Now experts fear likely successors will clash in a Sopranos-style turf war.

With the country already reeling from a new wave of football violence, an Italian government source warned: “It’s a disastrous time in Italy. The streets could become war zones.”

John Dickie, author of Cosa Nostra and a leading expert on the Sicilian mafia, said: “It is quite likely there will be a bloodbath now that Provenzano and Lo Piccolo are off the scene.

“There are several bosses plotting to take over but Matteo Messina Denaro is probably favourite. He has been on the run from the police since 1993. The Italian public can expect the power struggle to be played out on the streets.

“Killings in Mafia tradition are normally very symbolic.

“Often a man is shot dead in a motorcycle killing. The fact the killing is on his own turf is supposed to illustrate that everyone in his inner circle has turned against him.

“But just like Tony Soprano’s character in the Sopranos every killing is measured and decided upon for a reason.

“Until the Italian population stand up and say no to the Mafia and their protection rackets nothing will change.”

Mr Dickie added: “The Mafia will also spot an opportunity. Like Tony Soprano spotting a gap where the local government is weak and exploiting it.

“It’s still the same in Sicily and Italy today.”

The Sopranos Series Six: The Final Episodes and The Sopranos Complete Boxset are out tomorrow on HBO Video.